Jack’s childhood is overshadowed by his father’s presence — The skull was kept on the mantlepiece when we were children, staring at us from dark sockets when we went into the book-lined study to say goodnight to Papa. Its rotten teeth had gaping holes and dark roots showing. …

Liv reflects on her childhood as the seasons change — There’s a sadness to waking up and smelling autumn sometimes. I unzip the tent, which is damp with dew, and instead of the scent of the sun warming the ground, there’s that hint of chill. Of leaf mold and cold soil which won’t dry out again for 6 months. It’s…

Emma’s new home is next to a very strange beach — We were told those tales before I was old enough to really know what they meant. ‘There’s creatures under that sand.’ We’d imagine mermaids in caves beneath us, wrapped in seaweed cloaks with crowns made of pearls and sapphires. ‘If you stay too long on the sand, they’ll catch you…

Not all walls are barriers — My mother painted our house to resemble an enchanted wood. The sitting room had a stream which wound its way around behind the fireplace, burbling merrily to itself. There was a small bridge behind the TV cupboard, and the sofas appeared to be set in a sun-dappled glade. The kitchen…

Georgia moves to Cornwall to begin a new life — The birds always sing most clearly in the woods just behind the cliff edge. You can wander down the little path, through a gap in the dry-stone wall and you’re lost in another world. Away from the salt winds and cries of the gulls. …

Kate struggles to accept her mother’s death — My mother died three and a half years ago this week. It was a cold rainy day that she passed away, her Land Rover stuck in a ford which was flooding around her. The neighbour, Mr Jones, from the cottage on the corner, fought his way through the rapidly rising…

A derelict house casts a long shadow over Lilli’s childhood — There was a haunted house at the end of the road where I grew up. It towered enormous and black in our childhood imaginations, offering a world of wonder and terror. My friends and I would creep past it on the way to school and play in the overgrown gardens…

A folk tale —

Cheska struggles to cope at a family christening — Luckily, I was sitting down when Aunt Jane wandered over to me, pushing her way through the crowds of relatives chattering merrily in the airy, sun-filled hall, and plumping herself down on the flower swagged seat next to me. ‘And when is it your turn?’ She stares at my stomach…